Snuggled away in the well-manicured Cheshire countryside, this tranquil, neatened-up boozer still finds room at the bar for thirsty locals, although inspired cooking is the real draw here. Various menus and options are available on different days, but the food always shows serious gastronomic ambition, with bold, creative flavours shining through in, say, starters of duck egg with wild garlic velouté, ham hock and spring onion or wood pigeon with shiitake mushrooms, parsnip and watercress. After that, well-chosen seasonal produce receives fiddly high-end treatment, as in lamb rump accompanied by asparagus, nettles, sweetbread, beetroot, pressed potato and salsa verde or Danebridge trout and mussels with samphire, quinoa and lemongrass. To conclude, we like the sound of the cereal pannacotta with wild rice granola – another example of the kitchen’s idiosyncratic approach. A team of well-tutored, knowledgeable staff attend to every detail, and there’s a sharp terroir-led wine list too – what more could you want in this neck of the woods.